Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1887-06-17
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE DRooKLYN DIvINE's sun
DAY SERMON,
Subject: "The Tempest"


'HSutliul setting ltlay in a scene of great
Insurance; the surrounding hills high, ter
raced, sloped, groved, so many hanging gar.
dens OF oeauty the waters rumbiing down
between rocks of gray and red limestone,
flashing from the hills and bounding into the
sea. On the shore were castles, armed towers,
Roman baths, everything attractive; all
styles of vegetation in shorter space than in
almost any other space in all the world, from
the palm-tlee of the tropics to the trees Of
rigorous climate.
1t seemed as if the Lord had launched one
wave of beauty on all the scene and il hung
and swung from rock and hill and oleander.
Roman gentlemen in pleasure boats sailing
the lake, and the countrymen in ish-snlacks
coming down to drop their nets pass each
other with nod and shout and laughter, or
swinging idly at their moorings. Oh, WHAT
wonderful, what an enchanting lake
1t seems as If we shall have quiet night.
Not a leaf winked in tho air; not ripple
wrinkled the face of Gennesaret; but there
seems to be little excitement up the beach,
and we hasten to see what it is, and we find it
an embarkation
From the western shore q fiotilla pushing
out; not squadron of deadly armament, nor
a clipper with valuable merchandise, nor
piratic vessels ready to destroy everything
they could seize; but a fotilla bearing
messengers of life, and light, and peace
Christ is in the front boat. Many OF His
disciples are following in smaller boats Jesus
weary with much speaking TO large multi
tudes, IS put into somnoence by the rocking
of the waves If there was any motion at
all the ship was easily Iighted; if
the wind passed from starboard to
larboard or from larboard to starboard, the
boat would rock, and by the gentleness of the
motion putting the Master asleep And they
extempo. lied a pillow made out of fisher
mans coat. think no sooner is Christ pros
trate, and His head touches the pillow, than
He is sound asleep. The breezes of the lake
run their fingers through the locks Of the
worn sleeper, and the boat rises and falls like
a sleeping child on the bosom of sleeping
mother.
Calm night, starry night beautiful night
Run up all the sails ply all the oars, ami let
the large boat and the smaller boats glide
over the gentle Gennesaret. But the sailors
say there is going to be a change of weather.
And even the passengers can hear the moan
ing of the storm, as it comes on with great
stride, and all the terrors of hurricane and
darkness. The large boat trembles like a
deer at bay among the clangor of the hounds;
great patches of foam are flung into tho air;
the sails of the vessel loosen, and tapped by
the wind crack like pistols: the smaller boats,
like petrels, poiSe on the cliff of the waves and
then plunge.
Overheard go cargo, tackling, and masts,
and the drenched disciples, rush into the ba
part of the boat, and lay hold of Christ and
say unto him: Master, ca1est Thou not that
we perish! That great parsonage lifts His
head from the pillow of the fishelman's coaG
walks to the fl ont of the vessel, and loo Is
out into the storm. All around Him are the
smaller boats, driven in the tempest, and
through it comes the cry of drowning men.
By the flash of the lightning 1 see the calm
brow of Christ as the spray dropped from his
beard. He has one word for the sky and an
other for the waves Looking upward lie
cries: "Peace" Looking downward lie says:
"Be STILL"
The waves fall fiat on their faces, the foam
melts, the extinguished stars re-light Their
torches. The tempest falls dead, and Christ
stand with His right foot on the neck of the
storm And while the sailors are bailing out
the boats, and while they are trying to I'M
tangle the cordage, the disciples stand in
amazement, now looking into the calm sea-
then into the calm sky, then into the calm
Saviours countenance, and they cry OUT
What manner of man is this that even the
winds and tile sea obey Himln
The subject in the first place impre ses me
with the fact that it is very important to
have Christ in the ship; for all those boats
would have gone to the bottom of Gennesaret
II Christ had not been present. Oh what a
lesson for you and for me to learnt Wemust
always have Christ in the ship. Whatever
voyage we undertake, into whatever enter
prise we start, let us always have CHRIST in
Che ship. Many of you in these days OF
revived commerce are starting out i'll new
financial enterprises, bid you good cheer.
DO all you can do. Do it on as high plane as
possible. You have no Fight to be a
stoker in the ship if you can be an
admiral of the navy You have
no right to be colonel of a regiment if you
can command brigade; you have no right
to be engineer of a boat on the North River,
or near the coast, If you can take the ocean
steamer from New York to Liverpool All
you can do with utmost tension of body
mlnd and soul, you are bound to do; but OH
have Christ in every enterprise Christ in
every voyage, Christ in every ship.
There are men here who asked God to helI
Them at the start of great enterprises He
has been with them in the past; no trouble
can overthrow them; the storms might come
down from the top of Mount Hermon, anC
lash Gennesaret into foam and into agony
but it could not hurt them.
But here is another man who starts out Il
worldly enterprise, and he depends upon tn
uncertainties of this life. He has no God t.
hen him. After a while the STORM cNoo
anu losses OH tue masts Of the ship; he put,
out his ifeboat and the long boat, thu
sserif and the auctioneer try to help him off
they can't help him off he must go down; III
Christ in the ship. Here are young men JUS
starting out in life. Your life will be made
up of sunshine and shadow. There may b.
IL it arctic blasts, or tropical tornadoes;
know not what is before you, but know il
you have Christ with you all shall be well.
Ou lIey oSeiu W R6G along WlU0OuU Tn
religion of Christ while everything goe
smoothly, but after a while, when sorrow
hovers over the SOUL when the waves of tria
dash clear over the hurricane deck and tn
decks are crowded with piratical disasters
oh, what would you do then without Chris
In the ship! Young man, take God for you
portion, God for your guide, God for you
helps then all is well; all is well for time
all shall be we'll forever Blessed is that maj
who pats in the Lord his trust. He shall
never be COMPOUNDED.
But my subject also impresses me with tn
fact that when people start to follow Chris
They must not expect smooth sailing.
These disciples got into the small boats AM
have no doubt they said: "What beauti
full day this isl What smooth seal VIVA
a bright sky this is! How delightful
is sailing this boat and as for tn
waves under the keel of the boat, VIII
they only make the motion of our little boa
the more delightful" But when the wind
swept down, and the sea was tossed int
wrath, then they found that following Chris
was not smooth sailing. So you have foun
1t; SO have found it, Did you ever motto
the end of the life of the apostles Of Josu
Christi You would say if ever mon GU I'll
TO have had smooth life a smooth depart
ure, then those meE, the disciples of jest
Christ, ought to lave had such q departur
and such Il life
st. James lost his head. st. Philip wa
hung ON pillar. st. Matthew had his lif
dashed out with q halbart st. Mark WE
dragged to death through the streets. S.
James the Less was beaten to death with
fuller's cub. st. Thomas was struck throur
with spear They did not find followin
Christ smooth sailing. Oh how they WEI
all tossed in the tempesJ John Huss in I'll
lire, Hugh McKail i'll the hour Of martyr
DON, the Aloi ceases, tho Waldenses I'll
scotch Covenanters--did they find it srnoot
SalungI